Psychological Testing Flashcards
*What is a raw score?
The most basic level of information provided by a psychological test.
*What are the defining features for most tests?
It has a standardized procedure, it is designed to predict something, it gets a sample of behavior, and it gives a score or category result
*What is the difference between norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests?
A criterion-referenced tests asks whether or not a standard has been met, but is not interested in comparing you to anyone else. A norm-referenced test wants to know how you compare to the population (based on a sample).
*What is the difference between testing and assessment?
Assessment is a more comprehensive term, referring to the entire process of compiling information about a person and using it to predict behavior. It can be defined as appraising or estimating the magnitude of one or more attributes in a person.
*How is the information obtained from an individually administered test different from that obtained on a group test?
The information from individual tests includes the motivation of the subject, and the examiner can assess the relevance of other factors.
*What are the responsibilities of test publishers?
They should be familiar with APA guidelines and determine the test has appropriate psychometric validity. Finally, they should ensure the competence of test purchasers.
*What are the three categories used by APA and many test publishers regarding examiner qualifications?
Levels A, B and C.
Level A tests require minimal training, and are usually paper and pencil.
Level B tests require training in statistics and knowledge of test constructions. Some graduate training is needed. E.g. Aptitude tests and personalty inventories.
Level C includes the most complex instruments and require a master’s degree. Eg. Protective tests, individual tests of intelligence, and psychological tests.
*What are the responsibilities of test users?
A test user should have awareness of ethical guidelines, expertise in using the test, informed consent, stop using obsolete tests ASAP, and properly communicate test results (5). Any exceptions to the communication of results must be outlined in the informed consent.
*What are the strengths and weaknesses of the testing used in China from 2200BC through 1906AD?
Strengths: Incorporated relevant selection criteria, like penmanship.
Weaknesses: Unnecessarily grueling, failed to validate their selection procedures.
*How did Wundt contribute to the history of testing?
Founded the first psychological laboratory. Had people observe a pendulum to study the speed of thought.
*How did Galton contribute to the history of testing?
Galton studied individual differences when everyone else was looking at sameness. He also had the ideas for correlations and standard deviations. He believed that genetics influenced everything.
*How did Cattell contribute to the history of testing?
Cattell assessed intelligence using brass instruments. He used hand squeezes and feeling two points tests, because he believed people with the best sensory perception skills would be the smartest.
*How did Esquirol contribute to the history of testing?
Esquirol said there was a distinction between emotional problems and intellectual disability. One was lifelong and the other was onset. He diagnosed people and classified levels of severity. Although way ahead of his time, he only used language to make mental distinctions. Current methods aren’t so reliant on verbal methods.
*How did Binet contribute to the history of testing?
Binet, at the request of the French government, to identify which children needed special help in school, he developed a mental test. This was an important moment because it recognized that some children had different needs and needed an identification method that was valid. Binet had a strong research background.
The 1905 Binet Simon Scale was the first legitimate test of intelligence. It had a lot of verbal questions, as well as digit span. The score was a mental age.
*How did Goddard contribute to the history of testing?
Goddard tested the intelligence of immigrants, but didn’t consider cultural background.
*How did Hollingworth contribute to the history of testing?
Leta Hollingworth coined the term “gifted.”
*How did Terman contribute to the history of testing?
He developed the Stanford-Binet (currently SB5). He was well known for his work with gifted children. He was the one who called in an IQ.
*How did Yerks contribute to the history of testing?
Yerks created Army Alpha and Army Beta, which was the birth of group testing.
*How did Otis contribute to the history of testing?
Created multiple-choice questions.
*How did Rorschach contribute to the history of testing?
Rorschach gave us the Ink Blots and lots of things on projective testing. Eventually, this led to sentence completion and projective drawing tests.
*How did the 1916 Stanford-Binet differ from the 1905 Binet Simon Scale?
Terman multiplied the quotient by 100. The number of items increased to 90 (from 30 in 1905), and the new scale was suitable for children and adults, from inferior to superior. The norm sample was representative.
*How did the needs of the American military in WWI and WWII influence psychological testing?
It brought about a need for group testing.
*What is the importance of Woodworth’s Personal Data Sheet in the history of testing?
Basically, all personality tests came from Woodsworth. It was all yes or no questions and basically led to the MMPI..
*What is the impact of evidence-based practice and outcomes assessment on the field of testing?
- A need for validated instruments for treatments
- Not something that examines global personality factors but something that focuses on particular symptoms or diagnoses
- E.g. a quick instrument for assessing PTSD. Is my client getting better or worse?
*What is the norm group and why is it so important in testing?
A norm group consists of a sample of examinees who are representative of the population for whom the test is intended. We need to know where someone falls in relation to the distribution.
*What are the three measure of central tendency and their advantages and disadvantages?
Mean, median, and mode. If the results are skewed, use the median.
*What is the standard deviation?
The standard deviation reflects the degree of dispersion in a group of scores. If the scores are tightly packed, the SD is small. If the distribution is wide, the SD is large.
*What are the advantages and disadvantages of using percentiles?
Percentiles are easy for laymen and experts to understand, and they give the score in relation to the population. However, the differences in percentiles don’t reflect the differences in raw scores.
*How are standard scores used in testing?
A standard score expresses the distance from the mean in standard deviation units. -.50 2.50 etc
*What is the mean and standard deviation for z scores?
A standard score is also called a z score.
M = 0 and SD = 1
*What is the mean and standard deviation for T scores?
A T scores is also a standardized score.
M = 50 and SD = 10
*What is the mean and standard deviation for IQ scores?
M = 100 and SD = 15
*What is the mean and standard deviation for CEEB scores?
M = 500 and SD = 100
*What are stanines?
A stanine converts all scores to a single-digit scores ranging from 1 to 9. M = 5 and SD = 2. Allowed the use of keypunched cards.
*What considerations are involved in selecting a norm group?
The sample should be representative. The sampling is usually an alloy of random sampling and stratified random sampling.
*What are the characteristics of criterion-referenced tests compared with norm-referenced tests?
Purpose: Compare examines performance to a standard vs. one another
Item content: Narrow domain of skill with real-world relevance vs broad and indirect relevance
Item selection: Most items of similar difficulty level vs. items of varying difficulty
Interpretation of scores: Scores usually expressed as a percentage w/passing level predetermined vs scores usually expressed as a standard score, percentile or grade equivalent.
*What is reliability?
Consistency
